An Introduction to the Preliminary/Preparatory Visit

The Preliminary Visit is the term used for the initial stage in the process of accrediting a school for the first time. The Preparatory Visit is the initial stage in the process of re-accrediting a school which currently holds accreditation. 

The Preliminary/Preparatory Visit is of extreme importance to the whole Accreditation process, and for this reason is normally carried out by one or two experienced evaluators.

The main purposes of the Preliminary/Preparatory Visit are:

• To gain sufficient knowledge of the school to assess its understanding of the standards and its readiness to undertake the accreditation process.
• To focus the school’s attention on its own Guiding Statements (vision, mission, objectives, etc.), the ways in which they impact student learning and well being, and the extent to which these Guiding Statements drive planning and decision making.
• To focus the school’s attention on the meaning of the standards and indicators, including an initial self-appraisal by the school of its ability to provide evidence of the degree of its alignment with the standards.
• To provide information and training that will help to prepare the school for the Self-Study aspect of the accreditation process and to discuss initial planning for the subsequent Team Visit.
• To agree upon a time frame and details for the Self-Study and subsequent Team Visit that will be recommended by the Preliminary/Preparatory Visitors to the respective agencies.

After the Visit, the Visitors submit a report to the respective agencies.  The agencies will decide whether to award candidate status to new applicants or, in the case of accredited schools, to proceed with the next stage of the accreditation cycle.  The agencies will communicate their decisions to the school and forward a copy of the Visitors’ Report.